DrivAer is based on a strongly simplified generic bodies called Ahmed Body from 1984, which has a generic automobile shape to decrypt the main characteristics of the air circulation around vehicles. But it has no front cover, no wheels, no mirrors, no curved surfaces and rear angles therefore the research data can not be fully transferable to the development of production vehicles. But DrivAer will change it.

CAD model of DrivAer

(Student Hanns-Joachim Schmidt (left) and research assistant Dirk Wieser are assembling the car model "DrivAer" for measurements in the wind tunnel of the Technical University of Berlin. / Click to enlarge)

(Images credit: TU-Berlin)

DrivAER is an interpolated model of the AUDI A4 and BMW 3-series. It is 120 cm long, 45 cm wide and 40 cm high realistic model. It is designed in the computer at TU Munich and then printed with epoxy resin and gypsum materials on a 3D printer.

In the coming weeks the "DrivAer" will be tested in the wind tunnel at Technical University of Berlin with wind speeds of 150 kilometers per hour. There are 64 sensors installed for measuring forces and pressures.

"For others to profit as well from the benefits of the new DrivAer body, the CAD geometry is published here and can be downloaded for independent studies. Additionally numerical and experimental results gained at the Institute will be published in form of a database in order to facilitate the validation and future investigations of the DrivAer model. "